The rooftop of Quartz hotel.
After Sifon had done setting up the painting tools, Jianyu effectively used them all night long. By the time he had done his work, it was almost dawn.
No one to distract him, he was having a quality time sketching. His peaceful environment was disturbed by the arrival of a girl. Thank God he had already done painting. While he started to pack his tools up into his bag, his eyes unintentionally caught the girl.
She wasn't crying yet her back looked so sad.
The girl had a slim frame with her luxuriant and waist-length wavy hair swayed along with the breeze which blocked his view of the girl's face.
His attention was drawn towards her existence while his fingers were aching to have her on his canvas. So he asked for permission. She seemed to be startled by him at first, but the girl accepted his offer. After he had finished things up, he left the rooftop to take a nap because he pulled an all-nighter to complete the painting.
After he had gotten into the elevator, the door leaves were about to close when he heard footsteps coming from outside. he pondered if it could be that girl and sure enough, she came into his sight. Afraid that it would add to her already dwelling sadness, he hastily pressed to hold the door for her. She gave him a grateful nod with a subtle smile in courtesy without even bothering to bring her eyes up to meet his.
The painting of the panoramic view of the city in his hands caught her attention. She gazed at it for a while before sheepishly blurting out, "What a dazzling view! You really captured it at its best."
"I couldn't agree more. The city is the most beautiful at night. And thanks again for letting me draw you." He simply resounded.
Her stare still eying the ground, she smiled slightly and nodded. "My pleasure."
What they exchanged was a brief chat, but it lingered in her ears for a long time and made her widen her eyes in surprise. On the rooftop, the whistling air and her gibberish trepidation masked his entrancing voice. It was a kind of voice that allured anyone. Hypnosis. Like a magnet, the ones who had the blessing of hearing his voice once would be enchanted into wanting it more. Her case wasn't an exception. Never in her life, had she had the privilege to hear such an enticing voice.
What a shame the elevator had come to a halt!
They parted their own way without realizing their own fates which had already intertwined.
When Zhang Xiulan arrived home, unsurprisingly her big brother was cooking the delicacies in the kitchen.
Whenever she had a quarrel with her mother, the word happened to spread to her big brother. He would always come back to their house and cook something for his little sister.
"How is my sister-in-law doing?" Zhang Xiulan asked him out of courtesy. Her sister-in-law was a busy bee and rarely visited their house. Her absence no longer was an odd occasion.
"She is doing fine. But a certain individual is not. That's why I am here to stuff her mouth with her favorite foods." Zhang Honghui half-jokingly muttered.
Her heart sank upon hearing it. She was under the impression that her family members had learned about the case at the hotel. Clearly, Xiulan wasn't ready to face her family members' attempts at comfort.
"You are just spoiling her. It is normal to have a chat between a mother and her daughter." A graceful lady in her fifties scolded her son softly.
In a second, her tone became harsh. Mrs. Zhang pointed her finger at her. "You!"
The voice of her mother woke her up from a trance when Xiulan played dumb and twisted her neck to look behind, a pure innocence could be read on her face.
Cai Roumei's patience was wearing thin. She personally walked to her daughter and gave a light knock on her head, her action matched her querulous tone. "I am talking to you!"
"Mom!!!"
"Don't yell at me!"
Zhang Xiulan pouted and faked a crying face. She hastily moved her feet to approach and complained to her big brother about her mother's aggressive behavior while violently rubbing her vertex. "Gege, she hit me!"
"Mom, don't be so harsh on a kid." Zhang Honghui smiled gently and uttered while peeling the prawns. This mother and daughter duo was starting the drama again.
"Your sister is not a kid anymore. She is old enough to run around early in the dark to God know which place without informing the elders. Tell me where you were off to!" Cai Roumei admonished her daughter while walking up to her son to help him cook.
Normally Zhang Xiulan would notify her mother whenever she had somewhere to run to. But they argued last night. So she decided to leave by herself.
Judging by their conversation, it was clear that they hadn't heard about the news.
"Something big happened. I have no choice but to rush there." Zhang Xiulan whispered.
"Which case can be so important that it needs the urgent attention of my big sister?" Zhang Shaiming shouted while scratching his scalp underneath his messy hair.
One could tell he just woke up from his bed from his shabby appearance.
Zhang Xiulan welcomed her 'lovely' younger brother by roaring back at him, "Stop clawing your dandruff! I don't want my dishes to be filled with those dirty flakes!"
"Don't compare everyone with yourself. You have dandruff! Not me!" Zhang Shaiming blasted.
It hurts her pride to be shouted at by a younger one, "Mom, he raised his voice at his big sister!" Zhang Xiulan complained while pointing her index finger at Zhang Shaiming.
"Karma is back to someone else because she yelled at her mother." Cai Roumei leisurely spoke while tasting a slice of meat with chopsticks gracefully.
"Big sister Cai, in any case, perhaps am I your adopted daughter?" She mumbled while resting her palm on her own chest.
Cai Roumei rejoined, "If you are having too much free time to spout nonsense, come and help your brother!"
She couldn't respond back and squinted at her mother expressionlessly.
Cai Roumei imitated a grimacing face, "Oh! I forgot you can't cook."
Sarcasm was obvious in her tone!
Her younger brother seized the moment to make fun of her and laughed at her loudly.
"Zhang Shaiming, would you shut up? You are so annoying!" Xiulan yowled while stamping her feet.
"Stop fooling around. The dishes are almost ready to serve. Lan'er, go wash and freshen up a bit." Zhang Honghui softly uttered.
"Mhmm!" She nodded her head in agreement.
Before she was off upstairs, she heard her mother's voice asking where she went to this morning.
It halted her steps.
Xiulan was chatting with a light heart like she didn't have a care in the world just a while ago. But her heart sank into her boots at the mention of the incident. While running upstairs, she responded. "I will elucidate everything in detail later. Now I am seriously in need of a crash."
"Make it quick! We will start digging in when your father arrives. We won't wait for you!"
Xiulan rolled her eyes at her mother.
After entering her room, she muted her phone, threw it aside, and directly dived into her bed. It was an exhausting day and she fell asleep in a second.
She woke up to the alarm that went off at the time when she normally got up. She rinsed herself out and went downstairs into the dining room where her family members were sitting gloomily. The delicious smell made her mouth water. She was so busy checking out the dishes that she had no time to notice the forlorn expressions on their face.
When Xiulan saw her favorite prawn dish, the temptation was too astronomic for her to resist. She scooped out a prawn and stuffed it into her mouth which melted on her tongue. "No wonder my big brother is called the divine of dishes!" She proudly expressed her thoughts.
"We heard the news." Cai Roumei softly muttered.
"What news?" She blabbed.
"They were spotted together at a hotel. You dashed there to inspect the conditions a while ago, didn't you?"
Only then, she could recall the incident and elaborate unhurriedly on everything inside out. The fact that it was a scheme conspired against Weimin, the two people involved were innocent and had no relation between them. And lastly, the fact that she and Weimin made a mutual decision to call off the wedding.
All her family members respected her choice and were concerned if she was alright. Her mother was the first one to come up with a new topic, "What a coincidence, you gave in to going to the farm in the southern province last night. You can take the chance to get things off your mind."
"Mom, for the record, you decided it for me. I didn't agree with that." Zhang Xiulan mumbled incoherently while chewing on the piece of beef.
Cai Roumei retorted, "You can also take a break from the city and the tiring cases while watching over the farm which adds to your experiences in life. I am telling you, this is killing two birds with one stone! Don't blame too early, your mother meant it well."
"Fine! I will go! Okay?" Zhang Xiulan forfeited.
Later, her brothers jumped in and her father also joined the conversation. He assured her that he would have a serious negotiation with the Tang family into a peaceful settlement. After all, their marriage was based on property and economy. A broken marriage agreement came with a series of consequences regarding business deals.
Later, Xiulan kept her words and prepared to leave the city to superintend their private farmyard in the countryside, excited while wondering what the future held.